When I told my friends I was going on a ghost hunt that night, they laughed. One, a Malaysian, said, "What, in KL?" Another one, a mat salleh, made a comment on the fact that I am a sceptic of the spiritual world, so why would I spend time looking for ghosts. But as there is no harm in looking, why not give it a go. As they say, seeing is believing, so maybe if I saw something, it would change my opinion that ghosts and spirits don't exist.
So that is why later that night, I found myself sitting in a van with other would-be ghost hunters. We had joined a Spooksters tour, run by Francis Nantha, Chief Spookster. Francis told us that we should be safe enough, as metal is a repellant to sprits, therefore the vehicle should give us some protection. But for added measure we all tied a thin yellow thread around our right wrists.
The nightly tours start at Bangsar with a seafood dinner, where the group is given an introduction to the spirit world. Food is an integral part of Asian life for protection against the supernatural. Asian cultures are full of superstitions and beliefs, which have all got jumbled up by intermixing of the various cultures. It was interesting to learn that most of the customers are foreigners. Is this because Asians are too scared to delve in to the spiritual world, or is it that foreigners are more curious and want to find out about these Asian beliefs?
Before joining the tour I had no clear idea about the difference between spirits and ghosts, but Francis explained all this as we headed for the first stop. I learnt that there are three types of spirits, namely ghosts, gods and demons. Ghosts are basically people who have died, and I was amused to learn that some ghosts think that they are the ones living and us human beings are the dead ones! It seems that we can sense spirits in four different ways, by hearing, sight, touch and smell. A lot of people claim to have seen a ghostly apparition, especially at traffic lights, or have heard a strange noise. If you feel something brush your skin, but see nothing, this could be a spirit passing by. If it gives a sense of cold it is a ghost, whereas a demon gives off heat. If you notice an out of place smell it means a spirit is present. People report smelling fruit or flowers where no such things are in the vicinity.
Our first stop was the Indian temple at Mid Valley Mega Mall. Here we were told how spiritual beliefs affect building construction, both in Malaysia and other Asian countries. Steps needed to be taken to appease spirits before, during and after any development. At this particular temple is a tree believed to have been blessed by the Gods.
Then we went up to the Seputeh Chinese cemetery. I have walked through the cemetery at daytime, as it is nice and peaceful and a haven for small wildlife, as well as providing good views over the city of KL. It covers a huge area and is a real green lung close to the heart of KL. It is about 130 years old. I find it fascinating to walk around looking at the old graves, and there is one section dedicated to Yap Ah Loy, the supposed founder of KL. So to find myself walking through this cemetery in the wee hours of the morning, clutching a lit incense stick was a new experience.
The object of the exercise was to get good luck and a spiritual blessing. We were to walk past the gravestones until we found one we felt was calling to us, then to put the joss stick in the earth in front of the grave. Sadly, I felt nothing. It was a bit ironic that the three cynics of the group were the ones walking, whereas the others in the group, who were believers, were too scared to get out of the vehicle.
We stopped at a shrine, where people, and spirits apparently, come to pray and give offerings. The shrine is a good example of how the Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures have got intermingled, as one of the statues is a Chinese figure wearing a Malay songkok. I have often noticed this in cave temples in Malaysia. Inside what seems to be a Chinese temple, there is often a smaller shrine with gods from the Indian religion, and vice versa in Indian temples.
Spooksters started their tours at Halloween 2002. When I heard that it was almost their first anniversary, the question that came to mind is 'do ghosts have birthdays?' Or should that be 'deathdays'? After all, if us mortals celebrate our births, I wonder if ghosts celebrate the day they departed from this realm.
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